Improvement in knitting-machine



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WILLIAM H. ABEL, OF GREENVILLE, RHODE ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 74,266, dated February 11, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING-MACHINE.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: p

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. ABEL, of' Greenville, in the county of Providence, and Stateof Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had tofthc accompanying drawings, making part of this speciiication, in whichi Figure 1 is a front elevation.

Figure 2, a right-hand end view.

I igure 3, a transverse section on the line A B of tig. 1.

Figure 4, a plan or top view; and

Figure 5 shows the bottom side of a detached slide bar.

Figure 6, a detached lever and selvedge-hook, all pertaining to t'he said invention.

,This invention consists, first, in the employment of a series of levers or jacks, c, which swing or oscillate on a rod, a, passing through their lower ends, and through supports b, secured to the base, A, ofthe machine. The lower` ends of these jacks are otherwise retained in position by bars or plates 2 between them, and a series ot' comb-bars, e, arranged near the top of saidjacks, serving to guide the'dlatter as they are moved forward and back by the` slide-bar provided with the straightand angular grooves. The extreme forward ends of these combbars e servefor what are generally called knocking-over bars, to bring the o ld or already-formed loops over the `newly-formed loops in the process oi knitting.` The horizontal needlesfare inserted inthe front edge of the jacks, and there secured, so that the forward and back motion of the jacks or levers gives the same motion td4 the horizontal needles.

A stationary horizontal bar, g, is arranged between the forward ends of the comb-bars and the vertical needles, and in front ofthe webbing. This bar is for bringing over the loops from the vertical needles, and performs the same operation with the loops on the vertical needles that the forwardy ends of the comb-bars do with the loops on the horizontal needles. Thisbarg takes the place of what is called the slide on the ordinary rib# ,p

knitting-machine.

The rear ends of the comb-bars e are secured to any suitable clamping-device or other support B,which is fastened to a longitudinal bar, C, pivoted at each end. By means of this pivoted bar the forward ends of series of comb-bars may be depressed by liberating the rod 7i from the spring z', and then bearing the end of the rod t downward.- This lowering of the forward ends of the comb-bars exposes the ends of the horizontal needles, so that a portion or all oi' the loops on said needles may be replaced or adjusted at any time.

To the top or either edge of the slide-bar, I arrange a slidingl friction thread-carrier, D, which has a feedingarm, c, projecting from its front edge, and curving downward to near the ends of the horizontal needles, when said needles are farthest out, to receive the thread which passes through the end of said arm to the needles. It will he observed that the slide-bar has more motion longitudinally than is necessary for the threadcarrier, and to bring the latter into the right position to deliver the thread to the needles in proper time, the longitudinal motion of the thread-carrier must cease before the same motion of' the sliding-bar ceases. V To accomplish this object, I employ an adjustable stop, Z, on the top of the stand m, at each end of the machine-frame, so that'when the thread-carrier has moved a sullicient distance in either direction, the end of the same comes in Contact with the adjustable stop, which stops said thread-carrier in the right place.

At cach extremity ofthe series of horizontal needles, and parallel with'the same, I employ a selvedge-l1ook,

i 4, shown vin fig. G, the object of which is to hold and guide the thread over the outside needle and form the` selvedge. A camPfE, secured to one end of the main shaft F, acts upon a roller-stud, n, projecting from the side oi' the rocking-lever G, and at cach revolution of the shaft and com, the rocking-lever G, pivotedshaft R,adjustable rods S, clamp T, and the vertical needles, receive a slight upward motion by means of a short and easy curve, 5, in the operating-edge of the cam and spiral spring O. rlhis `upward. motion frees the old or alreadyformed loops from the latches of the vertical needles, then a downward motion brings the already-formed loops over the newly-formed ones, andproduces a ribin the web knit. By throwing the loops off the vertical needles `and turning the clamp T and connections downward, the horizonal `needles alonc will perform plain knitting.A

"i, substantiallyas and for the purpose specified.

Motion i's imparted to the machine by a belt on pulley. H, shown in iig. 1', or by any other suitable device, and through'thebevel-gears I and J on the shaft F, and the vertical shaft K, to the crank L, connecting-rod M,

and the vertical stand or post N, attached to the endp of the slide-bar, which is thereby moved longitudinally with the friction thread-carrier over and in Contact with the top ends of the jacks or levers c, which top ends t into straight grooves 6, and angular grooves @,in the under side of the slide-bar. The angular grooves act upon thel top ends of the levers c, to carry the horizontal needles and the selvedge-hoolcs out or forward to near the end of the feeding-arm, where the selvedge-hook at each side holds the yarn or thread, till the iirst needle passes under the lthread to book on, draw back, and form a loop, each needle performing thel same operation every time the slide-bar receives its full motion in either direction. The arm 8, which forms the back of the clamp T, projects to accommodate a set-screw, 9, the point of which bears against the front of the frame to adjust the clamp and vertical needles, and keep the latter at the proper distance from the ends of the .needlesjl AWhat' I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The employment of the stationary bar g, in the manner and for the purpose set forth. 2. Liberating and depressing the comb-bars, and replacing the same by means of the rod L, and the spring 3. Combining the needlesfand the selvedge-hooks withltlle jacks c, in the manner and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the 'cam E, roller-stud n, rocking-levers G, pivoted shaft S, clamp T, arm 8, setscrew 9, with the vertical needles, all arranged to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of all the parts, arranged `to operate substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' WILLIAM H. ABEL.

Witnesses:

E. S. Bowan, R. J. BROWN. 

